Western Cape strengthens agricultural ties with California

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Califonia, aimed at strengthening agricultural ties between the two regions.

On Friday, the Acting United States Consul General, Will Stevens and his broader team discussed key projects, provincial priorities, and potential collaboration opportunities.

The talks also covered the Provincial Cabinet’s recent approval to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Provincial Department of Agriculture to re-ignite the Provincial Government’s relationship with California in the agricultural sector.

Similar agreements were established with the State of Georgia.

The Western Cape and the State of Georgia are members of the Regional Leaders’ Forum, a multilateral grouping of seven regions from both developed and developing countries.

“During the discussions, both parties highlighted the Western Cape Province and the State of California are two of the few regions sharing a similar Mediterranean Climate.

“The result is that the two regions do share similar crops and production systems and iconic products such as wine and wine tourism,” said Western Cape Agricultural MEC Dr Ivan Meyer.

At the same time, both regions are also prone to similar disasters such as droughts, floods and fires.

“It follows that exciting synergies can be developed to mitigate the impact of Climate Change,” said Meyer.

The discussions included trade and investment opportunities with critical linkages to provincial competitive advantages, including agriculture, tech, the green economy, tourism, healthcare and bi-lateral relations between the Western Cape and sub-national entities within the United States of America.

“The Western Cape Government has always enjoyed a strong working relationship with the U.S. Consulate General in Cape Town, and we are currently exploring ways in which we could engage more.”

Last year, the Western Cape Province and U.S. government successfully launched a new Trade and Investment Promotion Partnership through the province’s Department of Finance of Economic Opportunities.

MEC David Maynier signed a formal government-to-government (G2G) relationship with the Department of Health to expand USAID support to the province and launched a direct flight between New York and Cape Town in 2019.

Acting U.S. Consul General Will Stevens noted: “As the Western Cape’s top foreign direct investor, the United States is a crucial partner for the province in bolstering economic growth.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney.

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